Hot, Cool & Vicious Explained

Hot, Cool & Vicious
Type:	studio
Artist:	Salt-N-Pepa
Cover:	Salt-n-Pepa - Hot, Cool & Vicious cover.png
Recorded:	October 1985 – August 1986
Studio:	Greene St. Recording (New York City)
Genre:	Hip hop
Length:	41:36
Label:	Next Plateau
Producer:	Hurby Luv Bug Stephen Keitt
Next Title:	A Salt with a Deadly Pepa
Next Year:	1988

Hot, Cool, & Vicious is the debut studio album by American hip hop trio Salt-N-Pepa. Released by Next Plateau Records on December 8, 1986, it was the first rap album by a female rap act to attain gold and platinum status in the US.

Hot, Cool, & Vicious reached the top 40 on the US Billboard 200 chart. The album included the single "Push It", which reached the top 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number two on the UK Singles Chart after being propelled by a remix, and was nominated for Best Rap Performance at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards.^[1] The album has sold approximately four million copies worldwide. It became the first album by a female rap act to attain gold and platinum status by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Release

The album features the songs "The Showstopper" and "I'll Take Your Man", recorded and released prior to the full album's release. It also includes R&B radio favorites "Tramp" and "My Mic Sound Nice". In 1987, the addition of the single "Push It" (US #19, UK #2), along with the replacement of two other tracks with remixed versions, propelled the album to gold, then platinum status in the United States, and made it the first album by a female rap act (or group) to attain gold and platinum certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America.^{[2] [3]} "Push It" was also certified platinum.^[4]

Reception

NME placed Hot, Cool & Vicious at number 18 on their list of the best releases of 1987.^[5] The album was certified platinum in the US, making the trio the first female rap act to have a gold or platinum album.

Track listing

Notes

• "Push It (Remix)" was not part of the original track listing of the 1986 release of Hot, Cool & Vicious, which also included the original unedited and unremixed versions of "Tramp" and "Chick on the Side". The original version of "Push It" was recorded in 1987 and added to later pressings of the album.

Charts

Year-end charts

1988 weekly chart performance for Hot, Cool & Vicious

Chart (1988)	Position
US Billboard 200^[8]	57
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[9]	18

Notes and References

1. Web site: Salt-N-Pepa. 2022-07-25 . www.grammy.com .
2. Web site: Ladies First: Women's Hip Hop Milestones . 2022-07-25 . BET . en.
3. Web site: Orcutt . K. C. . 2016-03-10 . The Source First Ladies Of Rap: Salt-N-Pepa . 2022-07-25 . The Source . en-US.
4. United States. Salt N Pepa. Push It. August 11, 2021.
5. Web site: Albums and Track of the year for 1987. NME. October 17, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20111114160012/http://www.nme.com/bestalbumsandtracksoftheyear/1987. November 14, 2011.
6. Web site: Salt-N-Pepa ARIA chart history, received from ARIA on June 15, 2021 . June 19, 2021 . Imgur. Note: The "High Point" number in the "NAT" column indicates the release's peak position on the national chart.
7. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1987 . Billboard . January 14, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210115004715/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1987/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums . January 15, 2021.
8. Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1988 . Billboard . December 22, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210314051554/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1988/top-billboard-200-albums . March 14, 2021.
9. 1988 The Year in Music & Video – Top Black Albums . Billboard . 100 . 52 . December 24, 1988 . Y-24 . 0006-2510 . World Radio History.